


Vacation! [DISCONTINUED, CHECK CH6]

by ialsoburneddownthebarn



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Curious Peridot, F/F, Jealousy, Obsession, Suicide, e l e v a t o r, lapidot - Freeform, oof
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2020-12-09 04:04:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20988554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ialsoburneddownthebarn/pseuds/ialsoburneddownthebarn
Summary: The crew's on vacation!Peridot's excited! She's convinced Lapis Lazuli to go with everyone, but things slowly begin to shift as she discovers feelings she never knew she had.She's not jealous, why would she be? She can share her best friend with everyone!...right?__________AND_____________Weird things are going on with the Crystal Gems. Everyone's got something to hide. Peridot's got someone after her, and she's struggling to keep her allegiance to her friends true.But now that one of their friends is gone, everything's going haywire. Can the Crystal Gems stay together, or will each of them shatter because of one bad apple?





	1. I'm sorry...

"Peridot…"

The small Gem shifted at the sound of her voice, but didn't wake.

"_Peeeeeridot… _"

Peridot huffed in her sleep. Something poked her face. 

"PERIDOT!"

She sat up, glaring Lapis Lazuli in the eyes. "THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I COULD GET TO SLEEP! IN A WHILE!"

Lazuli grinned slightly, and Peridot's anger melted away. "It's almost the afternoon already. I just thought you should get up."

It was silent in the room as the green Gem just… stared. That grin… had been because of _her._ _She _had caused that grin. Could she do it again? Maybe this time… it could be a full-on smile, directed entirely towards her… maybe even a laugh… a giggle…

"Are you awake…?" a voice called as a hand waved in front of her face, snapping her from her daze. Peridot blinked. "Awake?" she echoed, looking down at her hands. "Well, my eyes are open, and I'm functioning properly, so yes-" She stopped. Yes! There it was! The look of joy on her best friend's face! 

Peridot felt accomplished. Lazuli was _happy._ _R__ight now. _Because of something _ she _ did.

Then, suddenly, a similar face walked into their small hotel room, a keycard in hand. Both turned, suddenly alert and shocked. But as Steven came into view, they relaxed.

Well, sort of. Peridot was _ slightly _ angry their moment had been interrupted, and _ a little _ jealous of the hug the teen got from Lazuli, who stood up and went to talk and hug him (maybe she could ask for a hug? Or maybe… a _ small _ kiss or something…?).

Oh, yes, now she remembered why they were in this cramped room together. Steven's… award? Was it award? No, wait, he wasn't that important all the way up here. He was on '_vacation_', which apparently was something humans loved to do with friends, so he'd taken the ones who had wanted to go, too, with him. (Peridot had taken up his offer, then _ somehow _ convinced Lazuli to go with her, along with Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst, of course. Bismuth, for _ some reason,_ hadn't wanted to go with them, and Steven had invited Connie.)

Peridot looked up. Why were they _ still talking?_ Why didn't Lazuli just come talk to _ her_? She was _ much more _interesting!

She then froze as the one on her mind turned to look at her, and their eyes locked. They stayed frozen for a few moments, before Lazuli looked away. Her gaze was back on Steven. Again.

Why couldn't she stare at Peridot for that long? Why couldn't _ all _ of her attention be turned towards _ her?_

Peridot looked back at the pillow she'd been sleeping on. The dreamy state had been… odd. It had been unreasonable to sleep at a time like this, but Lazuli had been _ insistent _on her trying, so she had. It had come very soon, but had been followed by… unnecessary— yet, pleasant— dreaming about her friend.

The remnants of the dream hit her suddenly, and she was left with that same feeling she'd had before. 

_ Arrgh, no, bad self,_ she scolded, lying back in the bed. She set her visor aside _ Think about something else. Like… Steven. He's a hero, and a friend. A best friend. ...a _ traitor _ who steals all of her attention from me. She's _ mine_, yet he _ takes her _ and _ distracts her _ and I _ hate it _ and I hate _ him _ and- _

Peridot opened her eyes, frowning. _ That _hadn't worked.

Maybe she needed to try a little harder.

But she got up in her thinking again. Lazuli wasn't just _hers_. She didn't_ own her_. She was her own person, and she was free to be friends with whoever she wanted. 

Peridot looked over at the two. They looked happy talking. Calm. Everything was fine. Steven wasn't stealing anyone. He was a good distance from the water Gem, and his hands were_ nowhere near her _(not that it mattered or anything).

Lapis Lazuli seemed to be enjoying their conversation, too. She was smiling, and was clearly intrigued by the topic. She was just as good-looking as ever. And her hands were to herself, too. Everything was fine.

Then... why didn't it feel that way?


	2. ...I didn't mean to, Lazuli, I...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot decides to explore, and gets interested in an elevator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters are kinda short now, but they'll get longer as it goes on-

Peridot had decided to stay behind.

She didn't want to go to that party Steven had invited them to. It just didn't seem appealing to her. Uninteresting. Boring.

Even though Lazuli had gone.

So now, Peridot was alone in their small hotel room, and the silence was _ killing _ her. She wasn't used to being alone anymore, and she missed her best friend already. 

She stole a glance at the clock. 1:52. Great. What was she supposed to do while she waited for them to return?

_ I guess I'll just explore the hotel… then come back before they get back. _

Peridot stood and opened the door, walking right out. She heard the lock click behind her, and found she was suddenly slightly nervous about this large unfamiliar building.

There were people hanging around the end of the hallway, and they reminded her of those annoying teenagers back in Beach City. More people roamed the halls, and some looked a bit… _ rough._

On another topic, the hotel was nice. It seemed a little too fancy, but she enjoyed the smooth red of the silky carpet, and the nice smell. 

Peridot wandered down the hallway, then came to a stop at the sight of an elevator.

_Ooh, another weird human transportation device… _

She remembered Steven leading the group to this thing, making them go inside, then pressing a button, and…

She walked inside, eyeing the walls of it suspiciously. It _ seemed _stable, but one could never be sure. Then there were the small round buttons, labeled with different numbers. Steven had pressed the '6' button… but that's where she was now, right? What good would it do to go to the same place? (That's how it worked, right???)

She tried it anyways, flinching backwards as an automated voice said, "_ You are already on that floor. Please choose another_."

"Hmm…" Peridot looked up at the speakers, pressing the other button labeled '2'.

"_Floor two selected_," the same voice said, and she was suddenly closed into the small room. The green Gem let out a yelp, rushing to the doors, banging against them. "Open the door!! Let me out!! I can't die here!!" she shrieked, then fell to the ground as a sudden queasy feeling rushed over her. She was going down.

Peridot was going to die alone.

She let out a quiet whimper, curling into a ball. "Let me out of here!" 

Then, as if on command, the doors opened. Peridot stood, blinking. "Wha-"

"P_lease exit the elevator_."

She scrambled out of it, eyes wide. Finally! She was back on-

Wait a second. 

This wasn't her floor! She was floor _ six!_

She glanced back at the elevator as its doors closed. So _ that's _ what those buttons were for. They took you to the floor that matched the numbered labels.

Then what did the 'F' mean?

Peridot ran back to it, but it was too late. The doors were already closed. 

She began to wonder if it was possible from the outside, or would they open after a few minutes?

Then again, she _ did _have her powers…

But she didn't have to do _ anything_. The doors opened, and inside was a really familiar face, that of which almost made her fall over in surprise.

_ Oops. _

"Peridot? What are you doing here?"


	3. ...i-it was just... a mistake...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're stuck. Great.  
Oh, and someone's dead.  
No, for real.  
Actually dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taking me longer to post these, but now it's going to be up to a week between each! Sorry again, and I hope you're enjoying it so far!

"How'd you get the elevator to work by yourself?" Lapis Lazuli asked as she stepped out of the very object. Peridot scowled at her. "I can do things by myself, thank you!"

"Right." Her expression shifted from playfulness to worry. "Steven and I have been looking for you for quite a few minutes. We thought you jumped from a window or something."

Peridot glanced around. Jumped from a window? "Wouldn't that hurt, though?"

_ Oh? _ she thought as she caught sight of Lazuli's guilty '_that's probably why'_ look, but ignored it. 

_ She knows i'd never really do something as stupid as that… _

_ Right? _

"Let's just… go back to the room, okay? We brought you back some… cake. Steven said you'd like it." Peridot nodded, running onto the elevator. She looked at the buttons. Ah, she was right! Steven _ had _ to have pressed the '6', because that's the button Lazuli pressed to get them back to their floor. " _ Floor six selected._"

She motioned to then button labeled 'F', asking, "What does this do?"

Her friend smiled, and Peridot fought back a large grin. "The 'F' stands for 'floor'. Like the lobby."

This confused the green Gem. Thinking out loud, she blurted, "But that's so _ weird _ ! If these are all called floors, and the floors are where we stop to get off, then why did they call _ this _the floor! It doesn't make any sense! Why wouldn't they just call it the ground level?!" She finished and took a deep breath, looking back at Lazuli.

"You make things really confusing," she said. "But I agree with you." 

It was silent in the elevator as they went up, both pondering about two different things, then their movement came to a stop.

Peridot was expecting the doors to open… but they didn't. 

They were stuck.

  
  
  


Peridot paced in the elevator, growling under her breath. 

Lazuli watched her from the corner, having sat down and gotten comfortable. "...what are you doing?" she asked. Peridot didn't respond, only huffing and coming to a stop. The Gem then walked over and sat next to her. "We've been in here for, like, hours! How has no one noticed us gone?!"

"It's only been thirty minutes. And I'm sure someone will get us out soon," Lazuli said smoothly, running her fingers through Peridot's hair as the small being leaned back into her lap. She smiled softly. "Plus, being here isn't so bad. It's only an elevator… wait, have you tried using your powers?" 

"Yeah…" Peridot said dizzily, staring up at her with wide eyes. Lazuli looked so… good from here. Perfect.

_ Kissable_.

_ No, no, no, _ she scolded herself with a soft huff. _ I can't do that. Bad self. Normal thoughts. _

"How about we play a game or something?"

Peridot felt Lazuli's hand move along her jaw and shivered slightly. "What kind of game?"

"Hmm… how about-"

They both jumped up as a blood curdling screech rang out through the elevator. It was obviously female… but also horrifying familiar.

"Amethyst," Lazuli said in a hush voice. Peridot stared at the doors, breathing picking up speed. Were their friends okay? Was anyone hurt??

Her friend was behind her now, arms around her carefully. "Hey, hey, calm down… I'm sure they're all okay…" 

"Right…" she let out a shaky breath, leaning into the touch this time. _ Because someone would totally scream like that of everything was perfectly fine and no one was hurt and dying and- _

Lazuli trailed her hands down Peridot's arms, nuzzling into her neck. "Be here with me. Here. Right now. Just relax." 

_ "Relax". She says it like it's easy! _

On the other hand, Lapis knew it wouldn't be easy. She knew Amethyst was Peridot's friend— one of her best— and that they worried about each other constantly. 

But she _ also _ knew that Peridot needed to stay calm. If something really _ was _wrong out there, the Gems would take care of it. 

They always did.

But now, inside of the elevator, Lapis brought Peridot to the floor with her slowly and carefully. They sat there, Peridot in the other's lap while blue arms wrapped around her and held her, both comfortable and (mostly) calm.

Right now, though, they had no idea of the pain outside. The shattered gem — no, really. The shattered _ Gem _— on the ground, a friend and lover hurt, a heart broken. 

A friend, and a very close friend, was dead.


	4. ...i-it won't happen again! I'll just...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're out now... but something's missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really early, but I'm bored, so I just decided to do this now.  
It's a bit rushed because I wrote the draft in class, and it's shorter than I wanted, but I hope you guys enjoy it!

Eventually, they were rescued, then led outside. There were police, firefighters, and… other things? Peridot had no idea what the big white van-bus things were.

But as it turns out, the 'buses' weren't just for her and Lazuli.

Sure, they were examined for cuts and scrapes and stuff. But someone else was injured, apparently. Someone in the building. 

Someone they knew. 

Peridot and Lapis Lazuli were clueless, at first. And all the smaller Gem could see was Steven crying as if he'd just seen someone get shattered, or something. (She hoped he really hadn't.)

Then there was Amethyst, barely pulling through. There were tears in her eyes, but she was trying _ so hard _to comfort Steven. To get him to stop crying.

Then the people brought someone out on some rolley bed thingy, and put them in the back of the white bus. (Where were they going? Who was that?)

Lazuli looked down at Peridot, her eyes cold. She almost seemed to know what was going on. "Stay here," she said bitterly, then walking over to their friends.

Peridot didn't _ want _ to just _ stay there… _ but she would. It's not like there was anything better to do, anyways. 

Then she let her mind wander. What was up with everyone? (What was up with their _ elevator_???) Who were all these weird people? 

And most of all, where was Pearl?

Peridot looked up as her friend walked back over, a strange look on her face. She tilted her head. "Lazuli? You oka-"

She was suddenly brought into a tight hug, the other having to kneel to be Peridot's height. Fingers dug into her skin, and she winced, but didn't flinch or pull away. She would _ never _pull away from something that came so rarely. 

But it ended too soon, Lazuli pulling away to look at her. She suddenly knew this was going to be a serious conversation. 

"Don't you _ ever _ hurt yourself in any form or fashion, do you understand? If I ever find a _ single mark _ on your wrists, neck, or _ anywhere else, _I will-"

"Woah, back up!" Peridot glanced at the hands placed firmly on her shoulders. "_Me_? Hurting myself?! Why-"

Lazuli held up a hand. "_P__romise me_."

"I… promise." 

Peridot was suddenly brought back into that close, affectionate embrace. 

But now, she was just confused. Why was her friend acting so strange?

She hadn't been planning on asking, but the words tumbled from her mouth. "Why is everyone acting weird? Why are _ you _acting weird? Why are you worried about me hurting myself? What are those white buses for?"

"Peridot… there are some things that you're better off not knowing."

  


Lazuli refused to tell her _ anything_! It was torture! Why couldn't she know?!

Was it some kind of important secret? She was good with secrets, though! She was trustworthy!

And where was Pearl? 

Peridot hadn't seen the mother-like Gem in a couple days, and she hadn't gone back to the hotel with them… 

Was she the other person who had been hurt? How? Had there been a fight?

Whatever happened, no one was telling her. 

Peridot shrugged this off, looking around. She was on her way to Steven's room, just to ask him about it. He may have been sad, but she was sure he would tell her _ something_. 

She raised a hand to the door to knock, but when she tried, the door creaked open. Odd, but it was opened, at least.

So, stepping inside, she called, "Steven? You here?"

Silence.

Peridot closed the door behind her and flicked on the light. There was no one in the room except her. But there was something taped to the inside of the door, and she tore it off and read it.

  


** _At the hospital. Be back soon._ **

** _ ~Steven_ **

  


"The _ hospital_?" she asked aloud to no one but herself. "What's _ that?" _

But her question came with an answer.

"A place for injured humans. And Gems now, apparently."

She whirled at the voice. "Wh-"

"Hello there, Peridot. I do believe we've met. Why don't you come sit down so we can have a nice, friendly chat?"


	5. ...I can... fix it! I promise!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old friend visits...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you iburneddownthebarn for letting me use and edit your OC!!

Peridot stumbled backwards, panic rising in her chest. Her anxiety began to tear at her senses, and she suddenly felt dizzy.

The red Gem behind her chuckled. "You haven't changed much, I see."

She whirled to face her. "Wh-_What_ are _you_ doing here?!" Peridot cried, feeling for the door handle behind her. 

"I just came to visit," the other said coolly. She added, "Step away from the door handle," and 

Peridot scrambled away from the door, going to the small bit of wall next to it. Her eyes were locked on Painite. 

She then realized she was shaking out of fear of the tall, powerful Gem in front of her.

_I can't look afraid_, she told herself with a small contradicting whimper. _I can't look weak._

"So. How have things been going between you and You-know-who?"

_Lazuli_.

"Um… fine," Peridot said quickly. She forced back a smile at the thought of her friend. "Why… do you ask?"

A head tilt. "You seemed to enjoy having her as your prisoner last time I saw you two. How about as a _friend_?"

_Oh._

"C-cool."

"Oh, really? 'That the truth?"

Peridot's anger flared. "Of course it is! She doesn't like being a prisoner, and I didn't like keeping her that way!"

"She seemed to like being your prisoner."

Peridot shuffled her feet, looking down. She didn't like this conversation 

"Come _on_! Don't be _naïve_! You _know_ she liked it when she belonged to you! And I'm sure _you_ did, t-"

"She didn't belong to me."

This caused yet another head tilt. Peridot looked back up to glare sharply in the eyes. "She belonged to _Jasper_. She didn't _care_ about _me_. The only person that ran through her mind was _Jasper_," she spat, shredding the paper she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. She let out an angry laugh. "But now _I'm_ the important one!" Peridot stopped herself, the guilt sinking in. She sighed and sat down. "I hate myself so much. I did like it when she obeyed me and I could be with her and touch her _all I wanted_… but that's _over_, and I can't do that anymore. But she didn't like it, so I respect her not wanting me to do that now." She hesitated. "Even though I… haven't tried."

Painite got a bit closer to her. "Maybe I can help you with that." The red Gem kneeled, her grin menacing and threatening. "Join the new Homeworld rebels. The bad guys. _We_ can help you get what _you_ want, and _you_ can help us get what _we_ want."

"And… what do you want?"

"The Crystal Gems shattered."

Peridot flinched back. "_What_?! No! I can't-"

"Ugh. Look, the deal is, if you shatter them, we help you get Lapis Lazuli all to yourself." Painite made an odd hand motion that Peridot didn't understand, but found fascinating anyways. "She'll be all yours, and you can do whatever you want to her."

"I don't want to do anything to her against her will…"

"It won't be against her will," Painite said with a snort. "She won't object, and she won't squirm."

Peridot's eyes widened. "You're going to kill her?!"

"What? No!"

Relief flooded through her, and she stood, shaking her head. "I can't. It was sick of me to even consider your offer. Lapis Lazuli can do whatever she wants any time she wants. I'm not going to take away her freedom and hold her captive just because I…" Peridot rubbed her eyes, moving her glasses-like visor up slightly. "...because I have complicated feelings and urges that I shouldn't. I'm sorry Painite."

"You don't want to do this, Peridot."

The green Gem moved her hands away from her face, that same creeping feeling coming over her as the two's eyes met. "Don't want to do… what… are you doing…?" 

Peridot found herself shrinking back against the wall as Painite stepped closer, arms opened, hands ready. "I'm sorry, but the less you fight back, the easier this will be."

"W-wait! You can't-!"

Painite raked hooked claws across Peridot's throat, quick and fluently, there was a loud thundering noise, and everything went dark.


	6. AUTHOR'S NOTE/EXPLANATION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AN/EXPLANATION

_ **Howdy there.** _

_ **So if you're reading this, you've probably read the five chapters before. If you've left kudos or a comment, I've really appreciated your contribution. Things like that really help me stay motivated. ** _

_ **But the problem is that I'm really unsatisfied with this work. I was scanning over it and decided that, hey, I can do a lot better than this.** _

_ **So I'm gonna be discontinuing this work for now, and when I get ready, I'm going to start rewriting it. The gist of it will be the same, but some of it will be switched or mended in some way.** _

_ **I'm really sorry, and I hope that when I make the other one, it will be a whole lot better than this one. ** _

_ **Again, thank you for the support, and I promise you I won't let you down! :)** _

**Author's Note:**

> I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible! Thanks for reading, if you'd did! If you enjoyed it, feel free to leave kudos, or a reviewing comment on how you think it is so far!


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